How to overcome notification overload

Studies have shown that receiving text messages and mobile notifications trigger the release of dopamine. In lay terms, this means that notifications make us feel good when we receive them—and we may have negative feelings when we don’t.

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If that sounds like the symptoms of addiction, you’re not wrong. Notifications have an addictive quality and may put our decision-making skills at risk, too.

Additionally, too many alerts can cause anxiety. Think of work emails blinking on your screen during a date. Or incessant Slack alerts, Facebook messages, and news updates.

In short, notifications are driving us mad. Here’s a look at what they do and what we can do to reclaim at least some of our sanity.

And, if you don’t believe notifications are wreaking havoc on our collective well-being, it’s worth pointing out that both Apple and Android have developed features like the do-not-disturb mode and time monitoring features.

Turn it all off

Yeah, yeah it sounds impossible, sure. But do you need to see each item pass through your home screen?

The thing is, no one will be contacting you via Twitter or email if there’s a real emergency. So, disable the push notifications and breathe a bit easier.

Here’s a short video that shows how to disable notifications on your iPhone:

Set aside times for checking apps

Notifications are so new that there’s no set window of time that you have to respond.

While some work environments require users to be connected at all times, switching to manual check-ins at specific times can help you mitigate some of that anxiety you’re dealing with.

Figure out a schedule that works for you. Check in in the morning—and respond to anything that qualifies as urgent. Check in again later in the afternoon to respond to any midday requests, and be done with it.

Alternatively, if you feel like you’re truly addicted, you could monitor your habits using a tool like Rescue Time or StayFocusd.

Do Not Disturb

Both Google and Apple have do not disturb settings built into their devices. This allows you to keep your phone from making the little noises and vibrations that are oh-so addictive.

Consider apps to consolidate notifications

Notifications, of course, aren’t always bad. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of getting everything in one place or changing the presentation to suit your needs.

If you’re using a few different instant messaging systems—think Slack, WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger—it pays to look for a tool that can make this all seem more manageable. Here are some options:

Pushbullet

Pushbullet is an app that spreads your notifications across your phone, computers, and other devices. Which, we admit, sounds terrible at first, but the real benefit is you’ll be able to tackle your collection of alerts faster—and dismiss them accordingly.

This might not work for everyone, but it stands to help you cut back on the amount of time you spend checking your phone.

IFTTT

If This Then That, or IFTTT, is another fave for cross-device alerts. Use the tool to set up custom alerts. It takes a bit of time to get set up, but basically, you can use the tool to override your existing notifications systems and come up with something that works better for you.